The 2nd Red
Scare
Fear of
Communism
during the 1950s
What was the 2nd Red Scare?
• A fear of communism in
the U.S. during the late
1940s that lasted into
the mid-1950s.
• People became
paranoid about
communist spies in
America.
Causes of the 2nd Red Scare
• 1. The Cold War—the Belief that the Soviet
Union was trying to take over the world.
• 2. The uncovering of actual communist spies.
• 3. Republicans using the issue of communism
as a political issue—they attack the Democrats
as being “soft” on communism.
Truman’s Response to Republicans
• Executive Order 9835
• Establishes the Federal Employees Loyalty and
Security Program.
• Barred communists from federal employment.
• Set guidelines for investigating present and
perspective employees.
AP—McCarran Act
• Internal Security Act—Required all
communists to register with the govt.
HUAC
• House Un-American Activates Committee
• Congressional committee that sought to find
communists in the U.S.
HUAC Attacks Hollywood
• HUAC members feared that many in
Hollywood were communists or communist
sympathizers.
• Held hearing in which they interrogated
witnesses.
• If witnesses did not go along and “name
names” they were “blacklisted.”
Blacklisting
• None of the Hollywood studios would hire a
person who had not cooperated with HUAC.
The Hollywood 10
Red Scare Influence on Hollywood
Influence on Society
The Alger Hiss Case
• 1948
• Whittaker Chambers—a Time editor and former communist
(now a staunch anti-communist)—accused Alger Hiss of
having been a communist.
• Hiss had worked for the State Department during WWII.
• Chambers said Hiss passed govt. secrets to him to give to
Russia.
• Hiss denied Chambers charges.
Chambers & Hiss
The Pumpkin Papers
• Chambers claimed to have proof--microfilm of documents given to him by
Hiss.
• Chambers hid the microfilm in a
pumpkin. (Thus the “Pumpkin Papers”).
• He gave the microfilm to Republican
Congressman Richard Nixon of CA.
• Hiss was convicted of perjury (lying
under oath).
• Sentenced to 5-years (he served 2).
The Rosenbergs
• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
were accused of giving atomic
bomb secrets to the Soviets.
• They wre members of the
communist party.
• They denied the charges and
refused to cooperate.
• They were executed in 1953.
McCarthyism
• Named after Wisconsin Senator
Joseph McCarthy (Republican).
• McCarthy was person most famous
for making accusations that there
were communists everywhere
(including the government).
• McCarthyism = accusing people of
being communist without evidence.
Wheeling Speech
• McCarthy gives speech in Wheeling, W.Va in
which he claims to have the names of known
communists working in the Sate Department.
• Makes him famous.
• Never produces the names.
• Goes on to make more charges.
The Tydings Committee
• Millard Tydings (a senator from MD.)
Forms a Senate committee to look
into the charges made by McCarthy.
• The Tydings committee finds that
there is no truth to McCarthy’s
charges.
• McCarthy claims that Tydings against
him because he likes communists.
Why McCarthy becomes popular
• He quickly becomes the 2nd most famous
politican in the 50s (behind IKE).
• Many people were afraid of communism
during the 2nd Red Scare. They thought
McCarthy was helping protect the country.
• Republicans liked that he made the Democrats
look bad.
Ike and McCarthy
• Republicans liked McCarthy when they were
not the majority party because his attacks put
the Democrats on the defensive.
• Once the Republicans get the presidency and
control congress, he becomes a headache.
• Ike criticizes McCarthy in private, but does not
do anything publicly.
McCarthy Committee
• McCarthy gets his own committee to
investigate communists in the U.S.
• Eventually, though, he starts to investigate
army.
McCarthy-Army Hearings
• Televised.
• People see what a bully McCarthy is.
Murrow attacks McCarthy
• Edward R. Murrow was a
famous reporter.
• Had a TV show called, See It
Now.
• Had a whole episode in which
the showed McCarthy was a
liar and a bully.
• Greatly discredited McCarthy.
The End of McCarthy
• Combination of Army
hearings and the See It
Know episode lead to
people turning against
McCarthy.
• Censured by Senate.
• Dies of alcoholism a
broken man.
Impact of McCarthyism
• Negatively impacted many people’s lives.
• Helped to intensify a period of paranoia over
communism.
• Made it so leftists/ultra liberals were
marginalized in American politics.